Bridget Koontz, MD, on PSMA-PET’s impact on treatment planning

In this video, Bridget F. Koontz, MD, FASTRO, discusses the integration of PSMA-PET findings into radiation treatment planning. Koontz is radiation oncologist and the medical director of radiation oncology programs at AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida.

Video Transcription:

PET for prostate cancer specifically, so markers that highlight prostate recurrence, have really changed the way we treat prostate cancer. As a radiation oncologist, we're sort of surgeons without the knife. We need that imaging. We aim the radiation beam at targets that we see on CT and PET-based imaging. For us, being able to know where the cancer is allows us to target it, and I think that lets us be much more effective with our treatment.

There was actually a study done at Emory, where they looked at radiation after prostatectomy based on what we've done over the years––looking at the tumor markers and looking at the stage based on pathology and the PSA––and compared that to guide-designed radiation based on a PET result. They found that the PET result improved progression-free survival, even considering that some men were found to have metastatic disease and not treated at all. What that suggests is that if we know where we're treating, we can fine tune the radiation and be much more effective with our treatment options.

We're using it now for diagnosis in high-risk disease, so that we're not operating or focusing just on the prostate when it turns out they have a lymph node involved. Then we're using it if they recur after original treatment to make sure we're effective with the secondary treatment, like the study for GU-011. Then, even being able to understand in the metastatic space, which patients might still benefit from radiation vs which really need a more aggressive systemic therapy. So, it's helped us across the board.

This transcription was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.